Search on Ifri.org

About Ifri

Frequent searches

Suggestions

Military Stockpiles: A Life-Insurance Policy in a High-Intensity Conflict?

Studies
|
Date de publication
|
Référence taxonomie collections
Focus Stratégique
|
Références
Focus stratégique, n° 113, décembre 2022
Image de couverture de la publication
focus_113_couv_us.png
Accroche

The war in Ukraine is a reminder of the place of attrition from high-intensity conflict in European armies that have been cut to the bone after three decades of budget cuts. All European forces have had to reduce their stocks to the bare minimum. As a result, support to Ukraine has meant a significant drain on their operational capabilities. A significant amount of decommissioned systems were also donated, due to the lack of depth in operational fleets.

Table of contents
Table of contents
body
Russia, for its part, has mobilized the vast stocks inherited from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) to support its war effort after the initial failure of its "special military operation". The process of renovating the oldest systems was also increased, while Russian production of modern equipment remained insufficient.
 
The current conflict therefore sees mixed fleets of very modern systems and much older - even obsolete - ones from long-term stocks. This situation prompts us to question the stockpiling strategies of the French armies and to compare them to those that exist elsewhere.
 
> This publication is also available in French: Stocks militaires : une assurance-vie en haute intensité ?
Decoration

Available in:

ISBN / ISSN

979-10-373-0685-2

Share

Download the full analysis

This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.

Military Stockpiles: A Life-Insurance Policy in a High-Intensity Conflict?

Decoration
Author(s)
Photo
Léo PÉRIA-PEIGNÉ

Léo PÉRIA-PEIGNÉ

Intitulé du poste

Research Fellow, Security Studies Center, Head of the Defense Research Unit, Ifri

Image principale
 A soldier watching a sunset on an armored infantry fighting vehicle
Security Studies Center
Accroche centre

Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.

Image principale
Group of kamkazza combat drones against the background of sky and clouds, top view, 3d rendering. Concept: war in Ukraine, drone attack.
Observatory on Future Conflicts
Accroche centre

The Observatory of Future Conflicts is a research program carried out by the French Institute of International Relations and the Foundation for Strategic Research on behalf of the three army headquarters aimed at studying developments in tensions and armaments at the horizon 2040 in a transversal perspective, taking into account the issues of each army.

Image principale

The War on Terrorism: Global Experts Reflect on Lessons Learned Twenty-Five Years After 9/11

Date de publication
08 September 2026
Accroche

Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks prompted the invention of new security architectures that shaped the war on terrorism. Sixteen think tank experts from fifteen countries reflect on the successes, failures, and missed opportunities in the fight against terrorism—a fight that is still ongoing.

Image principale

From Corsairs to Private Military Contractors. Nonmilitary Maritime Actors and the Historical Continuities of Naval Warfare

Date de publication
26 August 2026
Accroche

Since late 2023, several Houthi attacks on commercial shipping have involved privately contracted armed teams conducting defensive engagements and coordinating immediate response efforts, often in the relative absence of regular naval forces during the immediate hostilities at sea. These cases highlight a strategic tension that increasingly confronts modern navies. On the one hand, they are expected to conduct persistent, low-intensity maritime security tasks such as counterpiracy, maritime policing, and the protection of commercial shipping. On the other hand, they face renewed pressure to prepare for high-intensity conflict against peer and near-peer adversaries amid the return of great power competition.

Pieter ZHAO
Image principale

Framework Nation: A European Challenge and French Ambition

Date de publication
10 June 2026
Accroche

First appearing in the early 2000s, the framework nation concept follows several distinct rationales, whether it refers to a country assuming the leadership of a military operation, directing a multinational capability project, or commanding a permanent force structure. In every case, the country that takes on this role fully intends to derive from it additional politico-military influence.

Image principale

The Nuanced Relationship Between Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

Date de publication
23 July 2026
Accroche

Public sentiment is something decision-makers must contend with, especially in democratic states. However, the extent to which public opinion shapes foreign policy varies. Three Council of Councils experts in France, India, and Nigeria reflect on how public opinion does—and sometimes does not—affect foreign policy decisions.

How can this study be cited?

Image de couverture de la publication
focus_113_couv_us.png
Léo PÉRIA-PEIGNÉ, « Military Stockpiles: A Life-Insurance Policy in a High-Intensity Conflict? », Studies, Focus Stratégique, Ifri, 6 December 2022.
Copy
Image de couverture de la publication
focus_113_couv_us.png

Military Stockpiles: A Life-Insurance Policy in a High-Intensity Conflict?